Monday, April 21, 2014

Falling For Zoe by Skye Taylor

Skye Taylor, known for writing taut political intrigue in her initial novel, Whatever It Takes, has now released a contemporary romance novel. Falling For Zoe is written with the same kind of character depth as her first published work. It is a charming story without schmaltz. Based in a small North Carolina seaside town known as Tide's Way. The setting is filled with history, charming old houses, and long-standing oak trees.

Zoe, pregnant with her lover's child, buys an old house full of charm but needing repair. Her lover has moved on, wanting nothing more to do with her or their baby. On the day she moves in, she meets her next-door neighbor, Jake Cameron. He lives with his twin girls, a teen-aged daughter, and his mother-in-law who has Alzheimer's. He ex-wife deserted the family, including her own mother. She has not seen her children since she left. Jake's heart needs to mend as much as Zoe's.

There is an instant attraction between them. But as in life the path to love is not smooth. There are obstacles aplenty to the relationship, especially the hurt each one must overcome.

You will like these characters, recognize them from your own life experience. There is a tense climax and an epilogue filled with ironic humor and implications for the future. Jake's extended family, the Cameron clan, will be the subject of subsequent novels about Tide's Way.

Falling For Zoe is a wonderful read, sweet, but not cloying like the sweet tea the characters drink. (Sorry, I'm a Texan who likes her tea straight up.)

You'll love getting to know these characters and will look forward to more about the Camerons.

If you like intelligent stories of contemporary romance, this one's for you.

Lovely job, Ms. Taylor!

Blurb

Zoe Callahan, pregnant
with the child her ex-boyfrienddoesn’t want, adores her ramshackle new home in the seaside town
of Tide’s Way, North Carolina. When she meets her handsome
next-door neighbor, Jake Cameron, who offers some fixer-upper help, her heart
goes out to him instantly. He’s a doting dad to three daughters and the kind
caretaker to a mom-in-law with Alzheimer’s. Jake is equally smitten with Zoe,
but he won’t risk turning his family upside down again after his ex-wife nearly
destroyed it.

As their friendship
grows, Zoe discovers love hasn’t given up on her, even if the father of her
unborn child did. Now she just needs to figure out why Jake is so determined
not to let the heady attraction that sizzles between them turn into something
more than just friends. Then one evening when their attraction threatens to
boil over, Jake is convinced Zoe wants a fairytale he is not capable of giving
her. He says some pretty stupid things to squash her expectations, and Zoe is
crushed.

Before Jake has a chance
to fix what he's nearly broken, disaster strikes, and Jake is Zoe’s reluctant
rescuer. He already has her heart, but now, in spite of the rift that has come
between them, she must trust him with her life and the life of her baby. Can
Jake shake the demons in his own past and trust himself?

About Me

A Native Floridian, I lived most of my life in Texas. After many years working for various government agencies in the state of Texas, I retired. With my upbringing I'm a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, and have learned to love the Texas Longhorns, too. Hook 'em!!! My favorite spectator sport is football. Am I a naturalized Texan, or what?!!

After the last six years in my native state of Florida, I still like the Cowboys and the Longhorns. My father passed away at the end of 2015. Now I'm taking time to work through the stress and pain of his death. My poor little Shih Tzus both lost weight over the last few months. Now I'm focused on them, feeding them very well, giving them extra love and attention. We went through everything together.

I was adamant about returning to Texas when I first moved here. But after looking at the realities I'm reconsidering such a move. I may well stay in Florida.

No matter where I am, I will continue with the blog and writing my novels. I'm about 1/4 of the way through my fourth novel. But because it's healing time for me, too, I'm not rushing to finish this one. I'm taking time to breathe and watch the birds around our lake.